New Ulm weekly review., 1887-12-14
JAMES 6. BLAINE.
The American Statesman, Now In Paris
Sharply Criticises the Message of Mr..
Cleveland.

SASSA>ASAAo
faet stamped the character of the message more
clearly than any words of mine can"
4ou don't mean actual free trade without
duty?. queried the reporter.
No., replied MIR. Blaine Nor do the London
papers mean that They simply mean that the
president has recommended what in the United
states Is known revenue tariff, rejecting the
protective feature an object and not even per-
mitting protection toresui1 freely as an incident
TO revenue duties. For the first time in the his
tory of the United States thepresident recon-
mends retaining the internal tax in order that
the tariff may be forced down even below the
fair revenue standard. He recommends that the
tax on TOBACCO be retained. and thus that many
millions annually shall be levied on a do
mestic product which would far better COME
froEN tariff on foreign fabrics. should urge the
repeal of the tobacco tax at once even before
the Christmas holidays 1t would in the first
place bring great relief to growers of tobacco all
over the country, and would, moreover materi-
ally lessen The price of the article to consumers
Tobacco to millions of men is a necessity. The
luxury Of We terday becom IS necessity to-day +
Inc onlv excuse Tor Sucn q t.X is the actual ne.
cessity under which the government found itself
during the war, and the years Immediately fol-
lowing. 10 reta the tax now in order to de-
stroy the protection which would incidentally
flow from raising the same amount of money on
1ore1sn ,mports, Is certainly most ex5raordi-
nary policy for our government would not
advise the repeal of the whisky tax Osher CON
siderations than those of financial adm1nistra-
tion are to be taken into account with regard to
A MORAL SIDE TO IT.
To cheaper the price of whisky is to increase
the consumption enormously. There would be
no sense in urging the reform wrought by high
license in manv states. if the national govern
1nent neutralizes the good effect by making
whisky within reach of every one al 20 cents a
gallon. Whisky would be everywhere dis
titled If the surveillance of the government
were withdrawn by the remission Of the tax
1t would destroy high license at once in all the
ssAtes Whisky has done vast d. al of harm in
the United a: es would try to make it do
some good. would use the tax to fortify our
cities on the seaboard In view of the powerful
letter addressed TO the Democratic party on the
subject of forSihcation by the late Samuel j.
Iiden in 1885, am amazed that attention
has been paid 90 the subject by the Democratic
administration. So long as there is whisky to
tax would tax it, and when the ma
tlOnai government should have no use for
the money I would divide the tax
among the federal union with the specific object
OF tightening The lax on real estate Tho houses
and farms OF the whole country pay too large
proporii ion OF the total. taxes. II ultimately re-
lief could be given in that direction it would in
my JUDGMENT, be wise and beneficent policy
Some honest. but misguided friends of temper
ance have urged tnat the government should not
MY reply is that The tax on whisky by the fed
era1 government, with its suppression of all illicit
Installation and consequent enhancement of
price, has been powerful agent in the temper
ance reform bv putting it beyond the reach
of SO many. The amount of whisky consumed
in the y United ed States per capita to-day is not
years ago. In my judgment the whisky tax
should ~ so modified as to permit all who use
it tree Of tax. In all such eases the tax
could be omitted without danger of fraud
should seriously object to the repeal Of tue
dntYon wool. 70 repea that would work great
! Justice to many interests, and would seriously
courage what we should earnestly encourage,
.meiy. the sheep culture among farmers
row1ngand be dependent foreign countries
lor the blanket under which we sleep and the
coat that covers our backs is not wise policy
for the national government to enforce
DO you think ii the presidents recommends
tion were adopted it would
INCREASE OUR EXPORT TRADE?"
Possibly in some few articles Of peculiar con-
struction it might. but it wonld increase our
import trade uen-fold as much in the great
staple fabrics. in woclen and cotton goods, in
iron, in Steel in all the thousand and one shapes
in which they are wrought. How are we to ex-
port staple fabsics 10 the markets of Europe
unless we make them cheaper than they do IN
cheaper than they do unless we get
cheaper labor than they have in
Europe? The question of labor underlies the
whole subject It is. in fact the entire question
Whenever We can force carpenters, masons, iron
workers and mechanics in every department. to
work as cheaplv and live poorly in the United
States as sim lar work1ner in Europe, we can, of
course, manufacture just as cheaply as they do
in England and France. But am totally op-
tempt it is equivalent to social aud finan.
revolution, one that would bring untold dis
s.. The moment You begin to import freely
aEurope your drive our worAmen from
hanical and manufacturing pur.ults. In the
eproportion they become tillers OF the soil,
easing steadily the agricultural product and
easing steadily the large home demand,
ch is constantly enlarging as home manu-,
urers enlarge That, of course, works great
'ry to the farmer, glutting the market with
products and tending constantly to lower
Yes, but the foreign demand for farm prod
would be increased in like ratio, would it
Even suppose it were, said Mr.. Blaine, "how
'you know the source from which it will be
>plied The tendency in Russia to-day and
she Asiatic possessions of Eneland is toward
arge increase OF the grain supply. the grain
ng raised by the cheapest possible labor.
nufac; ;uring countries will buy their bread
IFS where they can get them cheapest, and
enlarging OF the home market for the Ameri-
n farmer being checked he would search in
in for one of the same value His foreign
tsaees are already checked by the great compete,
tion abroad. There never was time swhen the
increase of a large home market was so valuable
to him. The best proof is that the farmers are
prosperous in proportion to the nearn.ss of
manufacturing centers. and q protective tariff
= tends TO Sp! cad manufactures i4HE
But those holding the presidents views" re-
marked the reporter, "are always quoting the
great prosperity of the country under the tariff
THAT tariff did not involve the one destructive
point recommended by the president, namely,
the retaininr of direct internal in order to
abolish indirect taxes levied on foreign fabrics.
But the country had peculiar advantages
under 1t by the Crimean war involving
tbee anes and
were immensely stimulating to trade In the
United ST ates, resardless of the nature of our
tariff. But mark the end OF this European .ex-
perience with the Tariff of 1876 Its enactment
was Immediately followed by the Mexican war !;
then In. 1s4s by the great convnlfions Of Europe;
then in 1S49 ans succeeding years by the
,enormons gold yield in California The powers
made. peace in 1856. and at the same time She
output of gold in California fell off Immeii-
ately the financial panic OF S57 came upon the
country with disastrous force Though we hackin
these years mined vast amount, Of gold IN Cal.-,
mia, every bank in New York was compelled To-
pend specie payment. Four millions in gold
d been carried out of the country in eight
RS to pay for goods that should have been
nufactured at home, and we had years, OF, de-
ssion and distress as an
AToNEIENT FOR oEa E0ILY
~ Ms remarkable that President Polk recon-
4iaIEended tile tariff of 1916 precisely the same
%und that President Cleveland recommends q
~ nanilar enacJment now. namely. the surplus in
OlAp treasury was mGnaclng he prosperity OF the
TIT Klntry. History is repeating itself. Mr.